Question 1Multiple choice
Read the sentence.
“The patient came in with acute pain that had started only an hour earlier.”
What is the best meaning of the word “acute” as it is used here?
HESI A2 Vocabulary
Vocabulary asks what a word means, often a health-care word used in a sentence. Context clues and word parts answer many of them.
| Words tested | General and health-care vocabulary |
|---|---|
| Best tools | Context clues and medical word parts |
| Example | Brady (slow) + cardia (heart) = slow heart rate |
| Who picks the sections | Your nursing program |
Two ways to find a meaning
- Context: the rest of the sentence often defines the word, gives a synonym or shows an opposite.
- Word parts: hypo- (below), hyper- (above), brady- (slow), tachy- (fast), -itis (inflammation), -ectomy (removal).
How to study
Learn words in pairs of opposites (acute and chronic, prone and supine, constrict and dilate) and test yourself in sentences, not as a bare list.
Try 3 questions
Question 2Multiple choice
Read the sentence.
“For the exam, the patient lay supine on the table, looking at the ceiling.”
What is the best meaning of the word “supine” as it is used here?
Question 3Multiple choice
Read the sentence.
“His heart rate of 130 beats a minute was a sign of tachycardia.”
What is the best meaning of the word “tachycardia” as it is used here?
Next step
Questions people ask
What kind of words are on HESI A2 vocabulary?
General academic words and words you meet in health care, such as distal, edema and intermittent.
Is there a list to memorize?
No official list is published. Learning common prefixes and roots, then practicing words in sentences, covers far more words than a list.